[normie610]

It's an exceptional IEM for sure. The M5 I haven't heard in over an year now, but I do remember it being slightly narrow compared to more "modern" standards. I'm realistically basing my evaluation of the width on IEMs that I find especially impressive in that respect like the A18S, Sultan or Thummim. It's also definitely worth noting that width is the most important of the staging to me personally, so my evaluation would be a bit more extreme in a sense

I haven’t heard the Thummim (would love to audition for sure) or A18s, but M5 is definitely no slouch to i4 in terms of soundstage width. To me the i4 has the widest soundstage I’ve ever heard from an IEM, and M5 is not far behind. But I do understand that you’re placing the greatest emphasis on staging so it’s more critical to you in terms of evaluation

 

[Tristy]

I haven’t heard the Thummim (would love to audition for sure) or A18s, but M5 is definitely no slouch to i4 in terms of soundstage width. To me the i4 has the widest soundstage I’ve ever heard from an IEM, and M5 is not far behind. But I do understand that you’re placing the greatest emphasis on staging so it’s more critical to you in terms of evaluation

If Audeze release an i4 equivalent without the wonky tonality without the cipher cable they are going to be onto a winner. Been looking out for this for a while. Curiosity about it in the past has nearly got me but the use case scenario for me is too narrow.

 

[normie610]

If Audeze release an i4 equivalent without the wonky tonality without the cipher cable they are going to be onto a winner. Been looking out for this for a while. Curiosity about it in the past has nearly got me but the use case scenario for me is too narrow.

The anker usb-c to lightning adapter proves to be a very good solution for non-iOS users. As for the use case, if this is to be your one and only IEM, I would agree the use case is too limited. But if it’s going to be a part of your multiple IEM collection, then I don’t see a reason why it shouldn’t be added to your collection in order to add a different flavor

 

[bluestorm1992]

Got my Burson Playmate 2 today and I am like... WOW. This thing works better than almost all the expensive DAPs I have tried. It drives both IEMs and power-hungry headphones (Diana V2) well in such a small form factor.. I am pleasantly surprised.

Its SQ is not too far behind the Hugo 2. Considering that it can very well drive the Diana V2 while the Hugo 2 is somewhat lacking behind in this aspect, the Burson Playmate 2 is a winner to me. And, it is also a lot cheaper...

The playmate 2 in the pic is the device between Hugo 2 (in black case) and its bigger brother the Composer DAC.

 

[normie610]

Got my Burson Playmate 2 today and I am like... WOW. This thing works better than almost all the expensive DAPs I have tried. It drives both IEMs and power-hungry headphones (Diana V2) well in such a small form factor.. I am pleasantly surprised.

Its SQ is not too far behind the Hugo 2. Considering that it can very well drive the Diana V2 while the Hugo 2 is somewhat lacking behind in this aspect, the Burson Playmate 2 is a winner to me. And, it is also a lot cheaper...

The playmate 2 in the pic is the device between Hugo 2 (in black case) and its bigger brother the Composer DAC.

That’s good to hear! I’m still waiting for my Soloist & Diana V2, but still undecided on the DAC, either getting the Composer or an R2R DAC.

I assume your above impression is using Composer as the DAC? If yes, how is the stack vs Hugo2 + Playmate combo?

 

[bluestorm1992]

That’s good to hear! I’m still waiting for my Soloist & Diana V2, but still undecided on the DAC, either getting the Composer or an R2R DAC.

I assume your above impression is using Composer as the DAC? If yes, how is the stack vs Hugo2 + Playmate combo?

The playmate cannot be used as a standalone AMP - it does not take audio input. However, I think the performance of the Soloist is going to be wonderful - should well surpass the integrated amp in the Playmate 2.

Oh I think I forgot to clarify - the Playmate 2 is an integrated DAC and AMP.

 

[normie610]

The playmate cannot be used as a standalone AMP - it does not take audio input. However, I think the performance of the Soloist is going to be wonderful - should well surpass the integrated amp in the Playmate 2.

Oh I think I forgot to clarify - the Playmate 2 is an integrated DAC and AMP.

Ah ok, my mistake as I thought the Playmate was a standalone AMP since you also have the Composer which is a standalone DAC

 

[bluestorm1992]

Ah ok, my mistake as I thought the Playmate was a standalone AMP since you also have the Composer which is a standalone DAC

Too bad you are not in the US, otherwise we could do a DAC switch. I have been wanting to try a R2R DAC.

 

[normie610]

Too bad you are not in the US, otherwise we could do a DAC switch. I have been wanting to try a R2R DAC.

That’s too bad indeed! Well I haven’t got any R2R DAC so even if I’m in the US we still can’t do the switch

 

[Layman1]

Ok, this may, or may not be of interest!
I've just published my review of the $499 iBasso SR2 headphones here on Head-Fi
It's a Head-Fi exclusive! (meaning no one has asked me to post it anywhere else)
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/ibasso-audio-sr2.24689/review/25032/

I received it for free in exchange for an honest review, and honestly, it really is pretty darn good.
I've hardly listened to any headphones though, so I'd be interested to hear if any of you have heard it and if so, what you thought?

I should be reviewing the approx £600 iFi Neo iDSD amp at some point in the coming days (or weeks, depending on how things go).
The SR2 will probably feature prominently in that review too, and I may update this one at that point too, if I have any notable feedback

 

[mvvRAZ]

Ok, this may, or may not be of interest!
I've just published my review of the $499 iBasso SR2 headphones here on Head-Fi
It's a Head-Fi exclusive! (meaning no one has asked me to post it anywhere else)
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/ibasso-audio-sr2.24689/review/25032/

I received it for free in exchange for an honest review, and honestly, it really is pretty darn good.
I've hardly listened to any headphones though, so I'd be interested to hear if any of you have heard it and if so, what you thought?

I should be reviewing the approx £600 iFi Neo iDSD amp at some point in the coming days (or weeks, depending on how things go).
The SR2 will probably feature prominently in that review too, and I may update this one at that point too, if I have any notable feedback

Hold up

The WM1A was able to drive it? Damn I’m interested lol

 

[bluestorm1992]

Ok, this may, or may not be of interest!
I've just published my review of the $499 iBasso SR2 headphones here on Head-Fi
It's a Head-Fi exclusive! (meaning no one has asked me to post it anywhere else)
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/ibasso-audio-sr2.24689/review/25032/

I received it for free in exchange for an honest review, and honestly, it really is pretty darn good.
I've hardly listened to any headphones though, so I'd be interested to hear if any of you have heard it and if so, what you thought?

I should be reviewing the approx £600 iFi Neo iDSD amp at some point in the coming days (or weeks, depending on how things go).
The SR2 will probably feature prominently in that review too, and I may update this one at that point too, if I have any notable feedback

Great review! I so much want to post their beautiful sales rep Jannie's pic with it on. If you have been following the DX300 thread, you will know who Jennie is.

 

[mvvRAZ]

I’ve been postponing an “2020 in recap” post for ages because gear keeps arriving lol, Noir arrives today and post should be up by this weekend!

 

[hshock76]

I’ve been postponing an “2020 in recap” post for ages because gear keeps arriving lol, Noir arrives today and post should be up by this weekend!

Looking forward to your impressions on the Noir!

 

[mvvRAZ]

Looking forward to your impressions on the Noir!

I’m really excited to get them. I last owned them a little over an year ago but back then I only had the SP1000M to use them with, and I really am not a big fan of that DAP now. I’ve also bought almost every tip from MTMT Audio so they’re much more likely to fit me hype!